Apparently Carmelo Anthony spoke too soon. The US Men's Olympic Basketball team was trounced earlier today by "European powerhouse" Italy. Just a week after Anthony, the youngest member of Team USA declared "We're guaranteeing a gold medal. We're bringing it back," the US suffered their worst exhibition loss since the NBA started sending players to the Olympics in 1992.
Italy trounced the US 95-78 and the game wasn't as close as the score indicates.
"This is a wakeup call for us," Philadelphia 76ers star Allen Iverson said. "I think we need something like this to understand it's not going to be easy."
Larry Brown's teams are noted for their team defense, but the US squad must not be listening after giving up 28 points to someone named Giacomo Galanda and another 25 to Gianluca Basile. Italy's Olympic team is comprised entirely of players that play professionally in Italy (i.e. no NBA players).
Gothamist thinks it's not a good sign when Team USA is already making excuses. "We need more time together," new Lakers forward Lamar Odom said. "These teams play together for years, and we have to put it together in a couple of weeks."
The difference in the game was behind the three point line, where Italy shot 15-of-35 while the Americans went just 4-for-13. Carmelo Anthony led the losing team with 19 points, and two-time NBA MVP Tim Duncan added 15 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
